Plans to eliminate the street Sovetskaya and similar neighborhoods is a mixed talk not only for those living in these places in Baku but also for people resettled there. These blocks may mean absolutely nothing for people not feeling the soul of Baku. But these neighborhoods are the ancestral home, for their grandfathers were born and raised in them.

At first glance, these blocks are located in buildings that may seem of little value . But they are a piece of old Baku . They are bad or good - it's originality and flavor of the city .

According to urban experts, reconstruction of historical or old quarters should consider certain features . For example, if destroyed are neighborhoods with houses built over a hundred years ago and densely populated by the local population , and the people are resettled, in this case destroyed is the cultural and historical value of the area. Because such neighborhoods act simultaneously as carriers of information about the past. Another consequence of this may be an imbalance in the harmony of urban social life.

Let us look at Sovetskaya from the society's viewpoint about the old and new... 

" Here, people respect each other , help and care "

Mirteymur, artist:

- I think that the place known as Sovetskaya should be demolished. These houses were once built for just one night , and do not meet today's requirements. I well know those places . I even photographed them . But I also want to emphasize that there are interesting buildings from an architectural point of view. For example, Guliyev's house on the street Murtuza Mukhtarov. It is a beautiful building. Now this house is the Union of Architects. As for the residents ... they can be placed in homes near Sovetskaya. There is nothing to worry about. Because most of the residents want to get an apartment instead of cash compensation. What I say can be also attributed to the territory known as Kubinka.

As an old Bakuvian, I am familiar with the traditions of the Inner City, and these blocks. Here, people treat each other with respect, help and care for others. They will be able to save all these values only if all will move in and live close to each other. Now the most important task is to resettle the people in areas located near the places where they were born and raised. In this case, they should be aware of what is happening , and city officials need to understand what is the main need of the people. There is a need in understanding and concessions.

" Baku has lost its flavor"

Elchin Gami Akhundov, artist:

- If you look , Baku has lost its flavor and ceased to be the same! Because as said the Baku chief executive Hajibala, there is no other man than the President! ... When they demolished the Old Intourist Hotel, I realized that these predators will not be able to stop. Still a good thing is that Sovetskaya will be demolished immediately, and not after western-style renovation! So they will not waste your and my money on that! ..

"There is no future that could be as dear as the past"

Najiba Bagyrzade, journalist :

- Each comer from the province has come from some village that he has left. If for some reason they resent the city or feel like strangers here, then they return to the once abandoned village. Because this village is a stronghold of their memories .

And all our memories ... Memories of the "city kids" are connected with destructible areas now known as Sovetskaya, Kubinka... The best days of our school years were spent in these houses huddled in the narrow dead-ends. In those years we dreamed that ever were destroyed these narrow and winding streets, running on which we had repeatedly fallen. We dreamed of moving to a new apartment . But today the destroyed Sovetskaya represents our past in which there is no return. This destroys the city of our memory. What could be more akin to people in the age of almost 50 years...

Where demolition is happening today, parks will be built. Excellent. Greenery around is encouraging and shaping the future. But no hope can ever become the same as our native memory, no future will ever replace the past and will ever become the same dear. Also, if this is the future, its breath will sweep the best pages of the books of our memory ...

"Laws of Sovetskaya were truly masculine ... "

Sevda Mikailgyzy , director of the Center for Typographical Printing Ziya:

- My school years were spent in Sovetskaya. In those years, I met and adopted unwritten laws of this quarter. These laws , so to speak , were truly masculine. Good was respected and bad was otherwise. There was a code of honor. Under the rigidity traced at first glance,people living in this quarter showed real human courage and inadmissibility of misconduct, with high humanity and care.

The episode I want to tell you really was one of the real touches reflecting the code of honor of the area and the presence of distinctive traditions: " In the last year of my student life in Sovetskaya, my future husband appeared in my life. We were already engaged and he had the right to escort me home. When we had once again passed around the block, one of the men sitting by the wall stood up and called my future husband:

- Bro, have you got a minute?

To be honest, I was a little scared. Why was he calling him? My boyfriend came back very soon and reassured me. They said to him, "Bro, will you please say who you are? Do not be offended ... but this girl is from our area, from our quarter, so we need to know who you are."

That's the way a girl from the village renting a room on Sovetskaya, without even knowing that for many years, had been under the patronage of the quarter people.

Sovetskaya is a matchless place... ( I was not able to write about it in the past tense).

ANN.Az